HAT TIP LOTTOMANIA"I can't reiterate often enough how often my husband, a pediatrician, is appalled by this case. He keeps saying that nutrition is not "extraordinary" care. A few years ago we stopped the ventilator for my father who died in a Burn Unit after going into profound septic shock with complete organ shutdown. He died with all of us holding him and did not have a living will. We kept him as long as possible unitl there was nothing to save, not even brain activity. On the other hand, my mother-in-law in the end stages of cancer and 55 lbs starved and was dehydrated. It was horrible to watch her in between the morphine. This death by starvation is not as easy as one is led to believe. I say, videotape the whole thing for CNN and let everyone watch and see how "humane" this is. That she is not in end-stage cancer, does not require extraordinary care, and is cared for and comfortable speaks volumes. The hubris of the people who feel that her life has no quality or say "I wouldn't want to live that way" strikes me as close to the policy of Nazi Germany whereby those who had "unworthy lives" were put away. Gee, who would want to be brain-damaged and a burden? Duh! But it is our humanity to those afflicted and our respect for life that should shape our votes and policies. The culture of death is here when we are able to put away those for whom we judge have no quality of life. Each case is indeed different, but this one smells awfully bad. "Schiavo" in Italian, means "enslaved". The irony is just too, too much. "

G-d bless you Lottomania, thank you for giving us yout insights

Comments

SCHIAVO IN ITALIAN MEANS ENSLAVED

HAT TIP LOTTOMANIA"I can't reiterate often enough how often my husband, a pediatrician, is appalled by this case. He keeps saying that nutrition is not "extraordinary" care. A few years ago we stopped the ventilator for my father who died in a Burn Unit after going into profound septic shock with complete organ shutdown. He died with all of us holding him and did not have a living will. We kept him as long as possible unitl there was nothing to save, not even brain activity. On the other hand, my mother-in-law in the end stages of cancer and 55 lbs starved and was dehydrated. It was horrible to watch her in between the morphine. This death by starvation is not as easy as one is led to believe. I say, videotape the whole thing for CNN and let everyone watch and see how "humane" this is. That she is not in end-stage cancer, does not require extraordinary care, and is cared for and comfortable speaks volumes. The hubris of the people who feel that her life has no quality or say "I wouldn't want to live that way" strikes me as close to the policy of Nazi Germany whereby those who had "unworthy lives" were put away. Gee, who would want to be brain-damaged and a burden? Duh! But it is our humanity to those afflicted and our respect for life that should shape our votes and policies. The culture of death is here when we are able to put away those for whom we judge have no quality of life. Each case is indeed different, but this one smells awfully bad. "Schiavo" in Italian, means "enslaved". The irony is just too, too much. "